Google launched the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro earlier this year to great reception, and as is customary for the company, it launched the budget Pixel 8a. Retailing for $849, some might argue that’s not really budget — especially since last year’s 7a retailed for $100 less. I should also point out that at the time of writing this, you can easily find the Pixel 8a for as little as $650, which is a fantastic bargain.
But unlike the Pixel 6a that I reviewed two years ago, the new Pixel 8a is a significantly better phone. It shares almost the exact specifications of its more premium $1000 Pixel 8. It boasts the same (though slightly smaller) OLED display, Tensor G3 processor for AI, 8GB RAM, and a similar camera setup. The biggest differences between the two phones lie in the cheaper plastic construction of the Pixel 8a, a smaller battery with slower charging, and a lower IP67 rating.
None of these things diminish the tremendous phone that the Pixel 8a is, and I’m astonished at how good Google’s little midranger is.
Design and display
As someone who’s used to large phones like the Pixel 8 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, the new Pixel 8a was a pleasant surprise. Its 6.1-inch display makes it easy to hold in one hand and very pocketable. It weighs just 200 grams, a far cry from my iPhone 15 Pro Max. That isn’t surprising given that the phone is mostly made out of aluminum, plastic and glass, but you wouldn’t guess by how good it feels in the hand. It doesn’t feel like a cheap phone at all.
The build of the Pixel 8a is solid, and I didn’t feel the same anxiety about running it without a case. The display is protected by older Gorilla Glass 3 but after several weeks of use, I’ve not seen the slightest hint of scratching or marking.
The phone is IP67 rated for water resistance but that’s less than the IP68 of its more premium siblings. However, Google does offer some excellent silicone cases, which I am more than happy to keep on my phone at all times. They are comfortable, solid, offer great protection, and really complement the phone.
As usual, Google ships the Pixel 8a in three colors: Bay Blue, Porcelain White, and Obsidian Black. There’s also a very nice Green color too but I got the Bay Blue, which is the signature color for the Pixel line this year.
One notable change over the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro is the camera visor on the back. This time it sits almost flush with the phone’s back, giving the Pixel 8a a more cohesive and seamless feel than the bigger Pixels. It also means the phone lays flatter than its siblings when you place it on a surface. I like it.
One pleasant surprise is the 6.1-inch OLED display on the Pixel 8a. It has a 1080×2400 resolution for a 430ppi, which is extremely sharp. Text and details are pin-sharp. Additionally, being OLED means excellent colors and contrast, so photos, videos, and games look lovely on the Pixel 8a. Speaking of games, the display’s 120Hz refresh rate makes everything feel fluid, smooth, and responsive.
Furthermore, the display has an astonishing peak brightness of 1400 nits in HDR and 2000 nits outdoors — that’s flagship quality right there. I had no problem using it in the very bright Queensland summers. Whether you are doom-scrolling on Instagram or TikTok, watching movies on Netflix, or just looking at your photos, everything looks crisp.
I think for most people, this is a gorgeous screen, and I never once felt going back and forth between this and my iPhone that I was having a severely limited experience. There’s also an under-screen fingerprint reader which works very well. I found it very reliable and responsive with no memory of failed attempts.
The Pixel 8a boasts all the modern connectivity options you need in 2024. It supports 5G networks, delivering a strong signal and fast download speeds. It handles sub-6GHz, including C-band, as well as the faster but rarer mmWave variety, ensuring robust coverage regardless of your network choice.
For Wi-Fi, the phone uses the Wi-Fi 6E protocol, rather than the newer Wi-Fi 7 found in the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. Nonetheless, it connected seamlessly to my insane Asus gaming router on the 5GHz band. However, I did notice an issue that kept recurring in the last week or two where the phone would repeatedly connect and immediately disconnect from my saved WiFi. I’d often go the whole morning before I realised that I wasn’t getting notifications. I don’t know why this would happen but rebooting the phone would often solve the issue.
Bluetooth 5.3 ensures low latency and the best AptX codecs, ideal for both music listening and gaming with compatible headphones. The phone’s speakers are decent, getting loud enough for speakerphone calls. While they lack the warmth of the iPhone 15 Pro, they are still adequate, and the built-in mic effectively picks up your voice even in noisy environments.
Camera
The Pixel 8a has a great camera. That should come as no surprise as Google’s Pixel phones have all been universally recognized as fantastic shooters. A lot of that has less to do with the physical hardware and more to do with Google’s computational photography.
Google has refined its algorithms quite a bit and it really pulls out the best from the somewhat basic camera system of the Pixel 8a. The phone comes with two main cameras on the back: a 64MP Quad PD wide and a 13MP ultrawide. There’s no telephoto lens, so the phone relies on Google’s Super Res Zoom tech for long-range shots. On the front is a 13MP selfie camera with a 96.5-degree field of view.
The Pixel 8a shoots great photos, especially with the 1x lens. Colors are contrasty and images sharp. You can look through the sample gallery for yourself, but I can’t say I ever took a bad photo. The only times I was disappointed with the shots were in low light and if I used the 2x zoom or the ultrawide. But in good lighting, the Pixel 8a took pictures as good or even better than the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Photo gallery
Video is much improved on the Pixel 8a, and I was more than happy with the quality that I even used it to shoot some of my YouTube B-roll. Thanks to that Tensor G3 processor, the Pixel 8a is able to record video up to 4K 60FPS and slow-motion up to 240FPS. It also has a wealth of supplementary features like optical image stabilization, 1080p active video stabilization, and HEVC H.265 and AVC H.264 file formats.
After you’ve finished shooting, the Pixel 8a offers a wealth of Google’s AI tools to edit. None of these are really new but are much improved since last generation’s phone. Some favorites are the Audio Magic Eraser that does an incredible job at removing noise from your video audio and highlighting your voice.
Magic Eraser is even more intelligent and makes quickly removing photo bombers from your pictures a breeze. That’s not even mentioning Magic Editor, Best Take, Photo Unblur, Face Unblur, and so many more that it would take a whole separate article to cover.
Performance and Battery
The everyday performance of the Pixel 8a is excellent. The Tensor G3 processor, which is the same in the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, does a commendable job at keeping apps running smoothly and fast. I had no issues quickly swapping between apps for multitasking or running games at good frame rates. As a phone for messaging, taking pictures, and consuming content, the Pixel 8a is as snappy and smooth as its bigger brothers.
However, the 8GB of RAM starts to show its limitations as the Pixel 8a doesn’t do the best job at keeping multiple apps open. The phone seems to top out at five apps at any one time, and even that depends on how intense the apps are. Mostly, I found my apps needing to completely refresh after swapping between two other apps. This might be an intentional implementation by Google to keep the phone snappy, but it’s something to note if you are a heavy multitasker.
The Pixel 8a handles most games just fine. You won’t be getting 60 frames per second at the highest settings, but you will get a decent gameplay experience around 30 fps in titles like Genshin Impact, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, and Diablo Immortal. I’m not a very heavy mobile gamer, but for my kind of play, the Pixel 8a handles gaming just fine without getting overly hot and throttling, which is good too.
Battery life on the Pixel 8a is good, and the phone will easily get you through a day of use with plenty to spare by bedtime. I usually take the phone off the charger at 7am and end my day at 11pm with about 40% battery remaining. Heavier use, like 4K video recording and gaming, will often leave me with about 10-15% at the end of the day.
A lighter use day would see me end the day at 50%, allowing me to go another day of light usage. There’s also an extreme power-saving mode that Google says will give you 72 hours, but I never put that to the test.
Thankfully, the Pixel 8a supports fast charging and wireless charging (although at a much slower rate than the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro). I use my Apple wireless charger to slowly charge the phone overnight while I sleep, which is great as I don’t need another charger. The Pixel 8a doesn’t support Battery Share, though. This is the ability to charge other devices wirelessly, something the bigger Pixels can do and is great for charging earbuds or a mate’s phone.
Overall, the Pixel 8a offers a fantastic balance of performance, battery life, and camera quality, making it a strong contender in the midrange smartphone market. Despite some limitations, particularly with RAM management, it remains a compelling choice for those seeking a high-quality, affordable device.
Software and AI
The Pixel 8a runs the latest version of Google’s Android 14 with the promise of 7 years of OS, security, and Feature Drop updates, which is huge. Only Samsung offers this level of updates with its latest Galaxy S24 phones. This makes the Pixel line of phones quite desirable from a software stance. Android 14 is highly mature and polished with a ton of great built-in features, many of which make daily use a joy.
As someone who primarily uses an iPhone, the transition to the Pixel 8a was extremely smooth. It helps that here in Australia, we don’t have that green bubble, blue bubble nonsense to deal with. The Pixel has a simple transfer process that will copy over your files, messages, and apps. Android 14 uses similar gestures for navigation but has a significantly better notification management system than iOS.
A big part of the Pixel experience is the extensive AI features that come as standard. Most people will use the photo editing AI tricks, but there are quite a few others at your disposal. I really like the AI calling features. Call Screen helps me filter out spam callers, while Hold for Me lets the phone wait on hold for me when I call government help lines. Then, of course, there’s the famous Circle to Search, which, though I don’t use it often, can truly come in clutch when you want to find something super specific, and you don’t know what it’s called.
For travellers, you get real-time translation to interpret signs, menus, as well as messages and speech. Though you can use Google Assistant, the company’s new Gemini Nano AI is also available on the Pixel 8a and allows you to do more generative stuff than the Assistant. Speaking of generative AI, I love the Wallpaper Generator that’s built into the OS. Simply pick a theme, tweak the provided prompt, and voila, new wallpaper.
Overall, the OS runs brilliantly on the Pixel 8a’s Tensor G3 processor, and despite my aforementioned issues with multitasking, the 8GB of memory doesn’t hinder overall performance. The Pixel 8a is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a high-quality, budget-friendly smartphone that doesn’t skimp on features or performance.
Verdict
The new Google Pixel 8a stands out as a strong counter-argument to the plethora of $2000 flagship phones. For just $850—and often much less, thanks to frequent discounts—the Pixel 8a is a fantastic phone offering some of the best photos, buttery smooth performance, and a very well-built, attractive design.
Throw in the latest Android releases with seven years of updates, and you’ve got yourself the Android equivalent of the base iPhone. Google has been trying for a long time to match Apple’s iPhone, and it’s safe to say they may have finally done it. I can’t believe how easy it was for me to switch to the Pixel 8a from my iPhone and not feel like I was missing anything. For any Android lover, the Pixel 8a is definitely one of the best options money can buy.
Google Australia kindly provided the Pixel 8a to PowerUp for the purpose of this review
